Micro Flow Measurement Devices and Devices with Movable Features

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a micro flow device including a body frame defining a chamber and having a first port and a second port into the chamber. A first membrane carrying a first electrode is disposed over a first face of the body frame and a second membrane carrying a second electrode is disposed over a second face of the body frame. An axle member is disposed in the chamber affixed to the first and second membrane and a wheel member is disposed in the chamber about the axle member and spaced from the axle element by a gap. An interrupter feature is formed on the wheel, with the interrupter feature causing a variation in capacitance between the first and second electrodes during rotation of the wheel. Also disclosed are techniques for providing freely rotating, sliding, moving, etc. features in devices fabricated by roll to roll processes.

PRIORITY CLAIM UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/541,128, filed Aug. 4, 2017,and entitled “Micro Flow Measurement Devices” and to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 62/585,641, filed Nov. 14, 2017, andentitled “Micro Devices with Moveable Features”, the entire contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

This specification relates to flow measurement devices (also known asflow measurement sensors) and systems, as well as processing techniquesto produce rotatable members by roll to roll processing.

Flow measurement devices produce a measure of an amount of fluidmovement over a period of time. Various techniques are used for flowmeasurement. Flow measurement techniques include mechanical techniquesthat use pistons or gears. Other techniques include flow based metersthat use a venturi or other orifices to constrict fluid flow incombination with a flow sensor to measure a differential flow before andwithin constriction.

These various techniques and technologies find use according toperformance, application suitability and cost considerations. However,these techniques and resulting devices may not be suitable for someapplications that require integration with other devices and/or systems.These techniques and resulting devices also may not be suitable for flowmeasurement applications that require low cost and high volumemanufacture processing.

SUMMARY

The micro flow measurement devices described below can be made usingmicro fabrication methods and can be used for performing flow sensingfor a variety of industrial, medical, and biological applications. Insome instances it may be desirable for the micro flow measurement deviceto be capable of measuring not only flow rate but flow direction aswell.

According to an aspect, a micro flow device includes a body having achamber, and a first port and a second port having passages into thechamber, a first membrane over a first surface of the body, a firstelectrode on a portion of the first membrane, a second membrane over thesecond opposing surface of the body, a second electrode on a portion ofthe second membrane, an axle in the chamber affixed to the first andsecond membranes, a wheel member disposed in the chamber about the axlemember, and spaced from the axle by a gap, and an interrupter featuredisposed between the first and second membranes.

According to an additional aspect, a micro flow device includes a bodyhaving a chamber, a first port, and a second port that are coupled topassages into the chamber, an axle member disposed about a center of thechamber, a wheel member disposed in the chamber about the axle member,and spaced from the axle member by a gap having a narrow gap width, afirst membrane of a flexible material over a first surface of the bodyhaving a first electrode on a portion of the first membrane, a secondmembrane over the second opposing surface of the body having a secondelectrode on a portion of the second membrane, and an interrupterfeature that causes a change in a capacitance value between the firstand second electrodes, as the wheel rotates.

The following are some embodiments within the scope of one or both ofthese aspects.

The micro flow device includes a first end cap connected to the firstmembrane and a second end cap connected to the second membrane, thefirst and second membranes of a flexible material having a thickness ofseveral micros, the body comprised a flexible material have a thicknessof a multiple of the thickness of the flexible material of the first andsecond membranes. The micro flow device has the interrupter feature as astructural feature of the wheel member that causes a change incapacitance between the first and the second electrodes, as the wheelmember rotates. The micro flow device includes a capacitance measurementcircuit coupled to the first electrode and the second electrode.

The micro flow device has the interrupter feature as a symmetric featurewith respect to rotation direction of the wheel. The micro flow devicefurther includes a capacitance measurement circuit coupled to the firstelectrode and the second electrode, with the electrode on the wheelmember causing modulation of measured capacitance for rotation of thewheel member in a clockwise direction in comparison to rotation of thewheel member in a counter-clockwise direction, permitting thecapacitance measurement circuit to discern flow rate but not fluid flowdirection between the first and second ports.

The micro flow device has the interrupter feature as an asymmetricfeature with respect to rotation direction of the wheel. The micro flowdevice has the interrupter feature on the wheel and includes acapacitance measurement circuit coupled to the first electrode and thesecond electrode, with the electrode on the wheel member causingsubstantially unequal modulation of measured capacitance for rotation ofthe wheel member in a clockwise direction in comparison to rotation ofthe wheel member in a counter-clockwise direction, permitting thecapacitance measurement circuit to discern flow rate and fluid flowdirection between the first and second ports.

The micro flow device of claim includes at least one additional microflow device in a stack with the at least one micro flow device having anadditional first electrode electrically connected to the first electrodeand an additional second electrode electrically connected to the secondelectrode. The micro flow device has the wheel including a central coreand a plurality of blades connected to the central core. The capacitancemeasurement circuit further includes a controller that converts measuredcapacitance from the capacitance measurement circuit into a flow value.The interrupter feature is one or more of an electrode, a set of slits aset of electrodes a set of apertures.

According to an additional aspect, a method of manufacturing a rotatableelement, includes patterning a metal layer disposed on a first bodysheet to produce a region of metal defining a rotatable element,patterning the first sheet to produce a body element having an interiorwall that defines a chamber enclosing the rotatable element and an axle,with the rotatable element spaced from the interior wall of the bodyelement by a first gap, and spaced from the axle element by a secondgap, and a first set of bridge elements that tether the rotatableelement to the body member, and a second set of bridge elements thattether the rotatable element to the axle member, laminating a firstfacial surface of a second sheet of a flexible material to a firstfacial surface of the first sheet to affix the second sheet to the bodyelement and to the axle and a second facial surface of the second sheethaving a electrode affixed to the second sheet, and patterning theconductive element on the second sheet to provide a first electrode.

The following are some embodiments within the scope of this aspect. Themethod further includes laminating a third sheet of a flexible materialto a second facial surface of the first sheet to affix the third sheetto body element and the axle element, the third sheet having anelectrode affixed to the second sheet and patterning the conductiveelement on the third sheet to produce a second electrode. Patterningfurther includes patterning the first sheet to produce a pair of portsthrough the body element. The method forms a first repeatable layer, andthe method further includes producing a plurality of additionalrepeatable layers including a second repeatable layer, and stacking thesecond repeatable layer on the first repeatable layer. The method afterlaminating includes removing the first and second set of bridges. Themethod further includes patterning a second metal layer disposed on thewheel element to define an interrupter element.

According to an additional aspect, a method of manufacturing a rotatableelement includes patterning an adhesive layer disposed on a firstsurface of a first sheet of a flexible material to remove portions ofthe adhesive layer in an area to define a location for a rotatableelement; patterning the first sheet to define the rotatable element inthe first sheet, adhering a pair of membrane layers of a second flexiblematerial, to opposing surfaces of the patterned first sheet, with eachof the pair of membrane layers having an electrode, patterning theelectrode on each of the pair of membrane layers to provide a first anda second electrode, respectively, and adhering a pair of sealing layersto surfaces of the pair of membrane layers.

The following are some embodiments within the scope of one or both ofthese aspects.

Patterning the first sheet further comprises patterning one area of thefirst sheet to define a chamber and an axle element, and the rotatableelement disposed about the axle element, with the rotatable elementspaced from the interior wall of the chamber by a first gap and spacedfrom the axle element by a second gap, and having a first set of bridgeelements that tether the rotatable element to the body member and asecond set of bridge elements that tether the rotatable element to theaxle member. Patterning further includes patterning the first sheet toproduce a pair of ports through the body element that provide apassageway into the chamber. The rotatable element is a wheel. Afteradhering the sealing layers the method further includes removing thefirst and second set of bridges. The method further includes forming aninterrupter element on the wheel.

The micro flow measurement devices are fabricated using reasonablyinexpensive techniques and thus provide inexpensive micro flowmeasurement devices for various applications. Two different types ofmicro flow devices are described. One type of micro flow measurementdevice is a unidirectional type that enables measurement of flow rate,but not flow direction. The other type is a directional type thatmeasures flow rate and flow direction. This directional type of microflow device can provide a measurement of fluid flow rate and anindication of flow direction, i.e., the direction at which fluid isflowing into the micro flow device.

In particular embodiments, the micro flow measurement devices describedbelow are fabricated using roll to roll manufacturing techniques. Rollto roll manufacturing techniques provide large volume manufacturingcapabilities with relatively low cost and can be used to integrate microflow measurement devices with other devices and systems.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below.

Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention are apparentfrom the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flow device in a stage of construction.

FIGS. 2-3 are perspective views of the micro flow device showingopposing facial surfaces in stages of construction of the micro flowdevice.

FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an assembled plan view of the micro flow device based on theconcepts described in FIGS. 1-3 without a top facial surface layer.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 showing a top facial surfacelayer that was omitted for clarity in the view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is exploded view showing a portion of the micro flow device ofFIG. 4A.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the modular micro flow device of FIG. 4with the top cap coupled to capacitance measurement circuitry.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a micro flow device comprised of stackedrepeatable layers.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a unidirectional micro flow device.

FIG. 8A is an isometric view of a unidirectional micro flow devicecomprised of stacked repeatable layers.

FIGS. 9A-9C are idealized plots of voltage vs. time.

FIG. 10 is schematic view of simplified model of a micro flow device.

FIGS. 11A-11F are views of roll to roll processing for the structure ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 11A-1 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 11A.

FIG. 11E-1 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 11E.

FIGS. 12A-12J are views of an alternative roll to roll processing forproducing rotatable features and the structure of FIG. 4.

FIG. 13A-13C are views alternative interrupter features for micro flowdevices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

Micro flow sensors/devices described herein are made using microfabrication methods and can be used for measuring fluid flow and flowrates in various industrial, commercial, medical, and biologicalapplications. Micro flow sensors/devices are fabricated on amicron/millimeter scale. Several fabrication techniques are disclosed.

In addition, two different types of micro flow devices are described.One type of micro flow measurement device is a non-directional type thatenables measurement of flow rate, but not flow direction. The other typeis a directional type that provides an indication of fluid flowdirection, i.e., the direction at which fluid is flowing into micro flowdevice (e.g., which port of the device is receiving fluid), in additionto fluid flow rate.

Referring to FIG. 1, a micro flow device 10 in a stage of constructionis shown. The micro flow device 10 shown is a directional micro flowdevice that senses fluid flow direction and fluid flow rate. The microflow device 10 is shown on a carrier layer, e.g., a web (for roll toroll processing discussed below) and includes a single circular flowchamber 12. (A micro flow device 100 would also include a singlecircular flow device chamber, as will be discussed in conjunction withFIG. 8). This initial discussion will use the micro flow device 10 as anexample to explain certain details and principles of operation of eithertype of micro flow device.

The micro flow device 10 includes a flow device body 14 having pluralexternal walls, e.g., four walls 14 a-14 d that define a body framehaving an interior circular surface 14 e defining the circular flowchamber 12. Two of the walls, e.g., walls 14 a, 14 c have ports 15 a, 15b that provide fluid ingress or egress from an external fluid source andan external fluid sink (not shown) via passages (not referenced) intothe chamber.

During certain times of operation one of the ports 15 a, 15 b, e. g.,port 15 a, acts as an inlet to a fluid flow and the other one of ports15 a, 15 b, e.g., port 15 b acts as an outlet to fluid flow. At othertimes of operation the opposite one of the ports 15 a, 15 b, e. g., port15 b, acts as an inlet to a fluid flow and the other one of ports 15 a,15 b, e. g., port 15 a, acts as an outlet to fluid flow. The micro flowdevice 10 provides an indicator that distinguishes between fluid flowthat is into port 15 a and out of port 15 b vs. fluid flow into port 15b and out of port 15 a. That is, the micro flow device 10 can detectfluid flow direction. While the ports are shown on opposing sides of themicro flow device 10, in some embodiments, the ports could be onadjacent sides or the same side.

The micro flow device 10 also includes a wheel 16 that is rotatableabout a fixed axle 18. The wheel 16 has a central core 16 a that isspaced from the fixed axle 18 by a relatively small gap 19 a. Byrelatively small gap is meant that the gap has a width (w) that is of asize sufficient to allow the wheel 16 to rotate about the fixed axle 18with minimum wobble and vibration. Thus, the gap width (w_(a)) size isof nanometers in size, sufficiently large so that the central core 16 ais not attached to the fixed axle 18 and yet sufficiently small suchthat the wheel 16 can rotate without substantial wobble to minimizevibration.

The wheel 16 has plural blades (can also be described as vanes, fins,paddles, etc.) 16 b that are attached to, e.g., part of, the centralcore 16 a. The blades 16 b can be straight or curved and the blades 16 bare affixed to the central core 16 a at any interior angle (between theblade and core) greater than zero degrees. A suitable range is 30degrees to 90 degrees. Another suitable range is 45 degrees to 90degrees. Ideally, the blades 16 b attach to the central core 16 a at a90 degree angle, especially for the directional micro flow device 10.Ends of the blades 16 b of the wheel 16 are spaced from the interiorcircular wall of body member 14 by a second relatively small gap 19 bthat would in general be similar in gap width size w_(b) as the gap 19a, e.g., of a size sufficient that allows the wheel 16 to rotate aboutthe fixed axle 18, without the blades 16 b being interfered with by theinterior surface 14 e of the body member 14.

Also shown in FIG. 1 are bridge members 25 a and 25 b that are roundbridge elements patterned from material that provided the device body14. These bridge members 25 a and 25 b tether the wheel 16 to the flowdevice body 14 during stages of fabrication of the micro flow device 10.Also shown in FIG. 1 are bridge members 27 a, 27 b that tether the axle18 to the wheel 16 during fabrication. Also shown in FIG. 1 are diceindicators (heavy corner lines, not referenced) that are used in dicingor cutting peripheral portions of the device body material to free themicro flow device 10 from those portions of the device body materialupon completion of fabrication.

The wheel 16 includes one or more interrupters 22 (e.g., patternedconductor 23) that allow the wheel 16, while rotating between a pair ofelectrodes (not shown in FIG. 1) to modulate a bulk capacitancecharacteristic that exists between the pair of electrodes (not shown inFIG. 1). This modulation caused by the interrupter 22 provides anindication of flow rate, as discussed below. This particular interrupterfeature is asymmetric and thus cases an asymmetric modulation thatallows differentiation between clockwise and counter clockwise rotationof the wheel 16 and thus also provides an indication of flow direction,as discussed below.

Interrupter features can be of various types, e.g., anything that allowsone part of the wheel 16 to have different electrical properties thananother part of the wheel 16. Examples of interrupters 22 includedifferent dielectric properties on portions of the wheel, holes in oneside of the wheel, making one portion of the fins fatter or narrower onone side of wheel from the fins on the other side (while still balancingthe wheel). The interrupter 22 can provide a difference in dielectricbetween a first portion of the wheel and a second portion of the wheel.Asymmetric interrupters 22 can also be of various types, e.g., anythingthat allows one part of the wheel 16 to have different electricalproperties than another part of the wheel 16 and provide asymmetricmodulation according to the wheel 16 rotation direction.

One interrupter 22 is a patterned metallic layer (or electrode) 23provided on a first portion of the wheel 16, with the remaining portionof the wheel having no metal, as shown in FIG. 1. If the patternedelectrode 23 is asymmetrical as shown, the wheel when rotating willproduce a faster rate of change in capacitance in one rotation directionof the wheel 16, in relation to the opposite rotation direction of thewheel. A patterned conductor that occupies less than 50% (or converselya patterned conductor that occupies more than 50%) will provide a largerchange in capacitance than patterned conductor that occupies 50%. Thechanges in capacitance are distinguished according to direction ofrotation of the wheel 16. This difference allows the flow device 10 tosense flow. When the difference is asymmetrical, this asymmetricdifference also allows the device to sense flow direction in addition toflow rate.

Referring to FIG. 2, on one facial surface (bottom surface in FIG. 1) ofthe flow device body 14 of the micro flow device 10 is a first membrane30 supporting a first conductor layer 32. The first conductor layer 32is disposed over a first one 33 a of a pair of vias 33 a, 33 b to makeelectrical contact between the first conductor layer 32 and ameasurement device (not shown). Also shown in FIG. 2 is bridge member 25b.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a cross-sectional view through the micro flowdevice 10 as depicted in FIG. 2, shows the first membrane 30 supportingthe first conductor layer 32 on the device body 14 (shown slightlyexploded for clarity). Also shown in FIG. 2A is a portion the electrode23 on a portion of one of the blades 16 b of wheel 16, bridge members 25a, 25 b axle 18. Also shown in FIG. 2A is an optional adhesive spot 42(depending on construction technique employed) that adheres an end ofthe axle 18 to membrane layer 30.

Referring to FIG. 3, on the opposing facial surface (top surface inFIG. 1) of the flow device body 14 of the micro flow device 10 is asecond membrane 36 supporting a second conductor layer 38. The firstconductor layer 32 is disposed over the second one 33 b of the pair ofvias 33 a, 33 b to make a second electrical contact between the secondconductor layer 38 and a measurement device (not shown). On the opposingor (top surface) is a second membrane supported by a second spacer layer(both not shown in FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 4, the micro flow device 10 in a final stage ofconstruction is shown (but with the membrane 30 and electrode 32 notshown for clarity). The micro flow device 10 has the single circularflow device chamber 12, the ports 15 a, 15 b and the wheel 16 rotatableabout a fixed axle 18 as bridge member sets 25 a and 25 b (FIG. 1) havebeen removed. Bridge members 25 a and 25 b were used to tether the wheel16 to the flow device body 14 during fabrication, and bridge members 27a, 27 b were used to tether the axle 18 to the wheel 16 duringfabrication. With the bridges removed, the wheel 16 is free to rotateabout the fixed axle 18 confined by layers 30 and 36.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a cross-sectional view through the micro flowdevice 10 as depicted in FIG. 4, shows the features of FIG. 2A, e.g.,the first membrane 30 supporting the first conductor layer 32. The firstmembrane 30 is on the device body 14 in intimate contact with the devicebody portions and the axle 18. Also shown in FIG. 4A are the featuresfrom FIG. 3, such as the membrane 36 and electrode 38 (with optionaladhesive spot 42 and adhesive spot 43). The bottom surface of the devicebody 14 is in intimate contact with the membrane 36 that supportselectrode 38. These membranes 30, 36 on the device body 14 affix theaxle 18 between the membranes 30 and 36, while leaving the wheel 16 andwheel blades 16 b free to rotate about the axle 18.

In some embodiments the wheel 16 can be thinned. In some embodiments, asdiscussed in FIGS. 11A-11F, the free rotational movement of the wheel 16about the fixed axle 18 relies on the recognition that during laminationof plastic layers, plastic will not laminate to metal based onconditions that will be employed by subsequent lamination techniques.However, under these conditions plastic will stick to underlyingplastic. The defined conditions include heat, pressure and time thatduring lamination are sufficient to cause the plastic to stick to theunderlying plastic without melting the PET. In some other embodiments,as discussed in FIGS. 12A-12J, the free rotational movement of the wheel16 relies on the recognition that during lamination of plastic layers,plastic will not laminate to metal based on conditions that will beemployed by subsequent lamination techniques, as above but that thefixed axle 18 is fixed by the adhesive spots 42, 43.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view depicting attachment of the axle 18 andbody 14 to the membranes 32, 36, while the wheel 16 with the paddles 16b and the central core 16 a are not attached to the membranes 32, 36.FIG. 5 also shows a portion of the electrode 23 on a portion of thecentral core 16 a, as in FIG. 1.

Referring now also back to FIG. 1, the small gap 19 a allows the wheel16 to rotate about the fixed axle 18 when a fluid flows through one ofthe ports 25 a or 25 b (FIG. 1). The blades 16 b of the wheel 16 areimpacted by the fluid flow causing the wheel 16 to rotate about the axle18. As mentioned, the wheel 16 has one or more features that allow thewheel 16 while rotating between electrodes 32 and 38 to modulate thebulk capacitance characteristic between the electrodes 32 and 38.

The bulk capacitance of the micro flow device 10 is the effectivecapacitance of a capacitor that is provided by the combination of theelectrodes 32 and 38 and the dielectric constants of the membranes 30and 36 dielectric of the material of the wheel, and the distance betweenthe electrodes 32 and 38 and, is at least approximated by a formula fora parallel plate capacitor, given as:

C=ϵ _(r)ϵ₀ A/d,

where

C is the capacitance, in farads;

A is the area of overlap of the two electrodes, in square meters;

ϵ_(r) is the dielectric constant of the material between the electrodes(sum of dielectric constants of a membrane, material of the wheel, andfluid);

ϵ₀ is the electric constant (ϵ₀≈8.854×10−12 F·m−1); and

d is the separation between the plates, in meters, where d issufficiently small with respect to the smallest chord of A.

The modulation occurs by including one of the aforementioned interrupterfeatures. Consider the patterned electrode 23 as the interrupterfeature. As the wheel turns the patterned electrode cuts into and out ofthe spacing between electrodes 32 and 38. Since the electrode 23 is aconductor the overlap of the electrode 23 with the electrodes 32 and 38changes the spacing and overlap between electrodes 32 and 38, thusmodulating the capacitance.

In FIG. 1, the electrode 23 on the wheel is asymmetric with respect tothe entire wheel, i.e., the surface of the wheel 16 covered by theelectrode 23 is smaller than and differently shaped from the remainingsurface of the wheel 16. The electrode 23 on the wheel is alsoasymmetric with respect to itself, meaning that an outer peripheralportion of the electrode has a longer chord than the inner peripheralportion of the electrode 23. This arrangement affects the shape of awaveform that is generated by circuity that measures the capacitance.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a capacitance measurement circuit 60 isattached to electrodes 34 a, 34 b of the micro flow device 10. Thecapacitance measurement circuit 60 delivers voltages to the electrodes(only electrode 32 on membrane 30 shown in this view) according to thetype of capacitance measurement circuit employed. In some examples of acapacitance measurement circuit an AC waveform can be used and thecapacitance is measured using frequency domain techniques. In otherexamples of a capacitance measurement circuit a DC waveform is used tomeasure capacitance using time domain techniques.

The capacitance measurement circuit 60 delivers an output train ofpulses that is proportional to the capacitance measured. A controller 62converts these pulses to a capacitance value that is translated to aflow rate and flow direction. The output will be a value that representsthe bulk capacitance between the electrodes 32 and 38 (not shown in FIG.6, which is modulated by the rotation of the wheel 16 and the electrode23 cutting into and out of a region of overlap with the electrodes 32and 36. If the interrupter 22 is symmetric the modulation will likewisebe symmetric. However, if the interrupter 22 is asymmetric as iselectrode 23 the output will likewise be asymmetric.

Referring to FIG. 7, a stacked arrangement 10′ of flow devices 10 isshown. On the top of the stacked arrangement is shown the device of FIG.6. Below micro flow device 10 are like micro flow devices 10 that arearranged in the stacked arrangement 10′ with ports 15 a shown inalignment. In some implementations ports 15 a can be staggered (meaningthat with the stack vertically adjacent ports are offset one from theother). A bottom end cap 21 a is shown attached to the stackedarrangement 10 and a top end cap 21 b is shown in exploded view over thestacked arrangement 10 but which would be affixed to the stackedarrangement 10′. Similar end caps 21 a, 21 b would be used with the flowdevice of FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 8, a unidirectional micro flow device 100 and stackedarrangement 100′ of unidirectional flow devices 100 are shown. Theunidirectional micro flow device 100 is basically the same inconstruction as that of directional micro flow device 10 (FIGS. 1-4A)except for the symmetric interrupter 22′ shown as a symmetric patternedlayer on wheel 16′.

Referring to FIG. 8A, a stacked arrangement 100′ of flow devices 100 isshown. On the top of the stacked arrangement is shown the device 100 ofFIG. 8 with electrode 32′ and via connections 34 a, 34 b on membrane 30(similar to FIG. 2) that were not shown in FIG. 8. Below micro flowdevice 100 are like micro flow devices 100 that are arranged in thestacked arrangement 100′ with ports (not referenced) shown in alignment.In some implementations ports can be staggered (meaning that with thestack vertically adjacent ports are offset one from the other). A bottomend cap 21 a′ is shown attached to the stacked arrangement 100 and a topend cap 21 b′ is shown in exploded view over the stacked arrangement 100but which would be affixed to the stacked arrangement 100′. Similar endcaps 21 a′, 21 b′ could be used with the flow device 100 of FIG. 8.

Referring now to FIGS. 9A-9C three fictitious outputs are shown thatcould be representative of outputs from a capacitance measurementcircuit 60 for three different cases. The outputs are of voltage withrespect to time.

FIG. 9A shows a first case using a symmetric interrupter 22′ (as in FIG.8). The symmetric interrupter (22′ FIG. 8) would be any symmetricfeature that modulates capacitance equally irrespective of fluid flowdirection. One example is the electrode 23′ having a symmetric patternon the wheel 16′ of FIG. 8. Thus, symmetric interrupter 22′ wouldproduce a series of pulses, e.g., typically close to a square waveoutput from the capacitance measurement circuit 60. The series of pulseswould be proportional to flow rate, but would have symmetric pulse edgesthat would be substantially the same in either direction. Circuity wouldnot be able to discern fluid flow direction from the series of pulses.

FIG. 9B shows a second case using the asymmetric interrupter 22(electrode 23) of FIG. 1 rotating in a clockwise direction, indicatingthat the fluid flow ingress is at port 15 b and egress is at port 15 a.In this second case, the asymmetric interrupter 22 would produce fromthe capacitance measurement circuit 60, e.g., a series of pulses havingleading edges with a short rise time and lagging edges with a long falltime (relative to the leading edge) that would be proportional to flowrate and would discern fluid flow direction as into port 15 b.

FIG. 9C shows a third case using the asymmetric interrupter 22(electrode 23) of FIG. 1 rotating in a counterclockwise direction,indicating that the fluid flow ingress is at port 15 a and egress is atport 15 b. In this third case, the asymmetric interrupter 22 wouldproduce e.g., a series of pulses having leading edges with a long risetime and lagging edges with a short fall time (relative to the leadingedge) that would be proportional to flow rate and would discern fluidflow direction as into port 15 a.

The controller 62 that is either part of the capacitance measurementcircuit 60 or a separate circuit references a table/algorithm to convertmeasured capacitance units into flow units. The circuitry 60 and/orcontroller 62 also discerns rise/fall times of edges (FIG. 9B and FIG.9C) to discern rotation direction of the wheel 16 and hence fluid flowdirection. Many techniques can be used to measure and detect changes insuch capacitance over the bulk capacitance and rise and fall times.

Compared to a conventional flow device used for similar purposes, themicro flow device 10 may use less material, and thus is subject to lessstress. The micro flow device 10 has a size in the micron to millimeterscale, and can provide wide ranges of flow measurements.

Micro flow device 10 having the above described features can bemanufactured using various methods such as MEMS processing techniquesand so-called roll to roll (R2R) processing. The materials for a microflow device 10 are chosen based on the features to be provided by themicro flow device 10 and the method of manufacturing of the micro flowdevice 10. Below are some criteria for choosing the materials of thedifferent parts of micro flow device 10.

Device body—The material used for the device body 14 may be defined bythe requirements. In general, the material needs to be strong or stiffenough to hold its shape to produce the chamber. In someimplementations, the material is etchable or photo sensitive so that itsfeatures, e.g., the wheel 16 and chamber 12, etc. can be defined andmachined/developed. Sometimes it is also desirable that the materialinteract well, e.g., adheres, with the other materials in the micro flowdevice 10. Furthermore, the material is electrically non-conductive.Examples of suitable materials include SU8 (negative epoxy resist), andPMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate) resist.

Membrane—The material for this part can be an elastic material thatforms a tympanic structure that along with the device body 14 confinesthe fluid in the chamber 12 and which supports the electrodes 32 and 38.As such, the material if elastic can bend or stretch back and forth, butsuch elastic characteristics are not required. The membrane material isimpermeable to the fluids of interest, including gas and liquids, iselectrically non-conductive, and can have either a low or a highbreakdown voltage characteristic. Examples of suitable materials includesilicon nitride, and Teflon. Others materials that are stiff are alsopossible.

Electrodes—The material of the electrodes is electrically conductive.Because the electrodes do not conduct significant amounts of current,the material can have a high electrical sheet resistance, although thehigh resistance feature is not necessarily desirable. The electrodes aresubject to bending and stretching with the membranes, and therefore, itis desirable that the material is supple to handle the bending andstretching without fatigue and failure. In addition, the electrodematerial and the membrane material adhere well, e.g., do not delaminatefrom each other, under the conditions of operation. Examples of suitablematerials include very thin layers of gold and platinum. Others such asaluminum are possible.

Electrical interconnects—The voltages from the capacitance measurementcircuits are conducted to the electrode on each membrane of eachchamber. Electrically conducting paths to these electrodes can be builtusing conductive materials, e.g., gold and platinum. Others such asaluminum are possible.

Other materials—when MEMS processing is used in manufacturing the microflow device, a sacrificial filling material, e.g., polyvinyl alcohol(PVA), can be used. The sacrificial filling material may also be used inR2R processing. In some implementations, solvents are used in themanufacturing process, which may place additional requirements on thevarious building materials of the micro flow device. It may be possibleto print some of the electrical circuit components onto the membranes.In general, while certain materials have been specified above, othermaterials having similar properties to those mentioned could be used.

End plates (not shown in the figures) can be placed above and below thefinished device 10 to protect the electrodes and membranes from anambient. The finishes device 10 can be packaged in various types ofpackages such as those used for integrated circuits and can be fittedwith fittings on the ports.

Referring now to FIG. 10, the flow device 10 can be electrically modeled66 as a capacitor having a bulk capacitance value C_(b) corresponding toa quiescent position of the electrode 23 being outside of a regionbetween electrodes 32 and 38 and a variable capacitance value C_(v)corresponding to rotation of the wheel in response to a fluid flowthrough the flow device 10. In FIG. 10, the model 66 is shown as havingthe bulk capacitance value C_(b) and variable capacitance value C_(v).Each of these “capacitors” are electrically connected in parallel.Capacitors connected in parallel have a total capacitance that is thesum of capacitances of the individual capacitors.

As mentioned above, while several approaches can be used to fabricatethe micro flow device 10, such as MEMS processing(Microelectromechanical systems) techniques discussed below will betechniques for fabrication by roll to roll processing that can also beapplied to formation of other types of devices/systems.

Roll to Roll Processing for Producing Micro Flow Devices

A roll to roll processing line can comprises several stations that canbe or include enclosed chambers at which deposition, patterning, andother processing occurs. Processing viewed at a high level thus can beadditive (adding material exactly where wanted) or subtractive (removingmaterial in places where not wanted). Deposition processing includesevaporation, sputtering, and/or chemical vapor deposition (CVD), asneeded, as well as printing. The patterning processing can includedepending on requirements techniques such as scanning laser and electronbeam pattern generation, machining, optical lithography, gravure andflexographic (offset) printing depending on resolution of features beingpatterned. Ink jet printing and screen printing can be used to put downfunctional materials such as conductors. Other techniques such aspunching, imprinting and embossing can be used.

The original raw material roll is of a web of flexible material (notshown). In roll to roll processing the web of flexible material can beany such material and is typically glass or a plastic or a stainlesssteel. While any of these materials (or others) could be used, plastichas the advantage of lower cost considerations over glass and stainlesssteel. Specific materials will be determined according to theapplication of the micro flow device. In applications materials such asstainless steel or other materials that can withstand encounteredtemperatures would be used, such as Teflon and other plastics that canwithstand encountered temperatures.

For the structure shown in FIGS. 1-7 and the structure shown in FIGS. 8,8A, stations within a roll to roll processing line are set up accordingto the processing required. Thus, while the end cap and top caps couldbe formed on the web or plastic sheet in one implementation the end andtop caps are provided after formation of the micro-flow device stack, aswill be described.

The plastic web is used to support the body 14 (FIG. 4A) by a depositionof material on the web at a deposition station followed by patterningstation. The body is formed at a forming station. The web supporting thebody 14 has a membrane 30 deposited over the body 14 at a station. Overthe membrane 30 is deposited an electrode 32 at deposition station whichis patterned at patterning station. Membrane 30 with patternedelectrodes 32 supported on the membrane 30 are provided on the body 14.Membrane 36 with patterned electrodes 33 supported on the membrane 36are also provided on the body 14. Electrical interconnects, forconnecting to the electrodes 32, 38 on each membrane 30, 36, areprovided by depositing conductive materials, e.g., gold, silver, andplatinum layers (or conductive inks such as silver inks and the like).In some implementations some of the electrical circuit components areprinted onto the membranes 30, 36. The roll having the micro flow units(body and membranes with electrodes and electrical connections and caps)are diced and collected and packaged according to the application toprovide the micro flow device 10.

Referring to FIGS. 11A-11D, a specific roll to roll processing approachto provide the micro flow device 10 is shown. A raw sheet of material ispassed through plural stations to have features applied to the sheet andthe sheet is subsequently taken up to produce fabricated micro flowdevices.

Referring to FIG. 11A and FIG. 11A-1, a sheet 70 of a flexible materialsuch as a glass or a plastic or a stainless steel is used as a web. Forthe particular implementation of the micro flow device 10, the materialis a plastic sheet, e.g., Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which isprovided with a layer 74 of metal e.g., aluminum (Al) over a majorsurface of the sheet 70. The sheet 70 is a 50 micron thick sheet of PET(Teflon) that coated with a thin metal layer 74 of aluminum having a 100A° (Angstroms) thickness. Other thicknesses could be used (e.g., thesheet 70 could have a thickness between, e.g., 25 microns and 250microns (or greater) and the thickness of the layer 74 can be 50 A° to500 A° (or greater). In general the body layer will have a thicknessabout 5 to 10 times that of membrane layer thicknesses. The thicknessesare predicated on desired properties of the microelectromechanicalsystem to be constructed and the handling capabilities of roll to rollprocessing lines. These considerations will provide a practicallimitation on the maximum thickness. Similarly, the minimum thicknessesare predicated on the desired properties of the microelectromechanicalsystem to be constructed and the ability to handle very thin sheets inroll to roll processing lines.

The metal layer 74 is provided by various approaches, such asevaporation or other techniques. Such metalized films are alsocommercially available. The sheet 70 from a roll (not shown) with thelayer 74 of metal is patterned at an ablation station, e.g., a laserablation station 1. A mask (not shown) is used to configure the laserablation station 1 to remove the metal layer 74 from those portions ofthe sheet 70 that will be used to form the body 14 and gap to the axle18, while leaving metal 74 on portions of the sheet that will ultimatelybecome moveable parts, e.g., the wheel 16. Optionally, the metal 74 canalso be left on those extraneous portions of the sheet where the variousstructures are not fabricated, in order to save time/expense inunnecessary ablation.

The metal left on the sheet portions that will become the wheel 16permit the wheel to rotate within the chamber 12. This technique relieson the recognition that during lamination of plastic layers as discussedbelow, the plastic will not laminate to the metal based on conditionsthat will be employed by subsequent lamination techniques. However,under these conditions the plastic will stick to underlying plastic. Thedefined conditions include heat, pressure and time that duringlamination are sufficient to cause the plastic to stick to theunderlying plastic by an electrostatic mechanism without melting thePET.

Referring now to FIG. 11B, the sheet 70 with the metal left 74 on sheetportions that will correspond to the wheel 16, and optionally on theextraneous portions, is micro- machined. A second mask (not shown) isused to configure a second laser ablation station to define or form thechamber and wheel. The sheet is micro-machined using a mask or directwrite to configure a laser ablation station to define or form thechamber 12 and the wheel 16 tethered as discussed in FIG. 1. Vias arealso provided for electrical connections. The micro-machining ablatesaway the plastic to form the chamber 12 within which sits the wheel 16,and defies the gap 19 to the axle 18 and defines the frame portion ofthe body 14.

Referring now to FIG. 11C, the sheet 70 with the defined features of thewheel 16 and gap 19 to the axle 18, and the chamber 12 is laminated at alamination station to a second sheet (shown as patterned regions 76),e.g., 5 micron thick sheet of PET, with a second metallic layer 310 ofAl of 100 A on a top surface of the sheet. This second sheet shown aspatterned regions 76 provides membranes over flow device bodies 14provided by the defined features of the chamber 12 and wheel 16. Thesecond sheet is also machined to provide alignment holes (not shown)prior to or subsequent to coating of the metallic layer.

Prior to lamination of the second sheet to the first sheet, the secondsheet is also provided with several randomly dispersed holes or viewports (not shown) over some areas that will be in alignment with thebody structures. These randomly dispersed holes are used by a machinevision system to reveal and recognize underlying features of the bodyunits on the first sheet. Data is generated by noting the recognizedfeatures in the first sheet through the random holes. These data will beused to align a third ablation station when forming electrodes from thelayer over the bodies.

The second sheet is laminated to and thus sticks (or adheres) to thefirst sheet in areas where there is plastic on the first sheet andplastic on the second sheet. At this point, a composite sheet ofrepeatable units of the micro flow device are formed, but withoutelectrodes formed from the layer on the membrane.

The machine vision system produces a data file that is used by the laserablation system in aligning a laser ablation station with a mask (ordirect write) such that a laser beam from the laser ablation systemprovides the electrodes according to the mask, with the electrodes inregistration with the corresponding portions of the bodies. Theelectrodes are formed by ablating away the metal in regions that are notpart of the electrodes and conductors, leaving isolated electrodes andconductors on the sheet. The registration of the patterned electrodes tothe body is thus provided by using the machine vision system to observefeatures on the front side of the laminated structure providingpositioning data that the laser ablation system uses to align a laserbeam with a mask, using techniques commonly found in the industry.

Referring now to FIG. 11D, the composite sheet 70 is fed to the laserablation station, to form the electrodes by ablating the 100 A° Al layerdeposited on the second sheet that formed the membrane. The compositesheet is patterned according to the mask to define the electrodes overcorresponding regions of the body. The ablation station ablates awaymetal from the metal layer leaving isolated electrodes on the sheet.

Referring now to FIG. 11E, the sheet 70 from FIG. 11D is passed througha lamination and patterning station that applies an interrupter 22,e.g., placing holes through portions of the wheel (not shown) or byplacing the electrode 22 on a portion of the wheel 16, as shown. In FIG.11E, the electrode 22 is applied to the backside of the wheel 16.

In some implementations it may be helpful to thin the features that formthe wheel, i.e., reduce the thickness of the wheel by a few hundredangstroms to ensure free rotation of the wheel. This can be accomplishedeither prior to lamination of the second sheet to the first sheet orsubsequent to formation of the wheel, depending on the interrupter beingused and whether the interrupter if placed on the wheel is formedcontemporaneously with the wheel. One particular implementation used inorder to reduce any rotating friction between the wheel 16 and one moremembranes 32, 36 that are in contact with the wheel 16, would be toprovide a collar. In this implementation, the wheel 16 (central portion16 a and blades 16 b) is thinned on the backside (and/or front-side) toleave a narrow collar 29 of non-thinned height about the axle 18, asshown in FIG. 11E-1.

An alternative technique would be to incorporate very thin spacer layers(not shown) between the body and the membranes to in effect increase theheight of the body relative to that of the wheel by a few microns toensure free rotation of the wheel. These spacer layers would haveapertures in the layers corresponding to the chambers.

Interrupters such as holes, can be provided prior to or subsequent tolamination of the second sheet to the first sheet by placing holes etc.through material that will form the wheel to change the dielectriccharacteristics of a portion of the wheel subsequent to formation of thewheel.

Referring now to FIG. 11F the sheet 70 from FIG. 11D can be passedthrough a different lamination station to apply a third sheet 78, e.g.,5 micron thick sheet of PET, with a third metallic layer 80 of Al of 100A on a top surface of the sheet 78. This third sheet 78 is patterned andforms the membranes 36 over the flow device bodies 14 provided by thedefined features of the chamber 12 and wheel 16. During alignment of thethird sheet 78 the machined alignment holes (not shown) can be used inguidance for patterning the metallic layer 80 to form the electrodes 38.

Alternatively, the micro flow devices 10 of FIG. 11D after being dicedto free up individual ones of the devices 10 can be arranged in a stackof two or more using the repeatable layer characteristic discussedabove. A first the membrane/electrode combination of a first stackeddevice element 10 forms one of the electrode/membrane combination for asecond stacked device element that is attached to the first deviceelement 10.

An alternative to the roll to roll processing of FIGS. 11A-11F, a rawsheet of material is passed through plural stations to have featuresapplied to the sheet and the sheet is subsequently taken up to producefabricated micro flow devices, with many such fabricated micro flowdevices fabricated on a sheet, as was illustrated in FIGS.11A-11F. Theprocessing approach discussed below can be adapted for fabrication ofmany micro-fabricated devices using roll to roll processing, especiallywhere the micro-fabricated devices have features that are required tomove in some fashion, e.g., rotate, slide, pivot, etc. In FIGS. 12A-12Jbelow, the micro flow measurement device 10 (or 100) having a wheel 16(see FIGS. 1-7) that rotates in operation will be used as an example ofa micro-fabricated device that has one or more features that move, e.g.,rotate, slide, pivot, etc. during device operation.

Referring now to FIGS. 12A and 12B, a sheet 170 of a flexible materialsuch a non-metalized 50 micron thick sheet is provided with a doublesided adhesive 174 over a major surface that will be used to provide thebody layer 14 (FIG. 1). The adhesive is a type 1801 tape that isdisposed over the sheet 170, as illustrated in FIG. 12B. For theparticular implementation of the micro flow device 10, the material ispolyethylene terephthalate (PET). Other materials could be used.

Referring now to FIG. 12C, the sheet 170 with the adhesive 174 ispatterned to clear the adhesive from all regions that will correspond tomoving parts. Thus, for the example of the wheel 16 used in the device10, a mask (not shown) is used to configure a laser ablation station toremove the adhesive from areas of the sheet 170 within which the wheel16 will be formed. For the flow device 10 that would involve leaving theadhesive on the central portion that will correspond to the fixed axle18 while leaving the adhesive on frame portions of the body 14.

Referring now to FIG. 12D, the sheet 170 is micro-machined using anothermask (not shown) or direct write to configure a laser ablation stationto define or form the chamber 12 and the wheel 16 tethered as discussedin FIG. 1. Conductive vias are also provided for electrical connections.The micro-machining ablates away the material of the sheet to form thechamber 12, the wheel 16 spaced from an inter wall of the chamber 12 andthe axle 18 spaced from the wheel, while leaving the frame portion ofthe body 14 and adhesive 174 on the frame portion of the body and thecentral portion of the wheel which will provide the axle.

Referring now to FIG. 12E, the sheet 170 with the micro-machined chamber12, wheel 16 and axle 18 (FIG. 1, not referenced in FIG. 12E) is affixedto membrane sheets 176 a and 176 b, e.g., 5 micron thick sheet of PETeach with a metallic layer of Al of 100 A thickness. The sheet 170 isaffixed on both sides with one of the membrane sheets 176 a and 176 bwith the metallic layers of those sheets facing outwards from the body14, and which provides a composite sheet 175. The regions of adhesive174 (FIG. 12D) will adhere the sheets 176 a, 176 b to sheet 170.

Referring now to FIGS. 12F and 12G the sheets 176 a and 176 b arepatterned to form the patterned electrodes 177 a (FIG. 12F), 177 b (FIG.12G) carried by the membrane sheets 176 a, 176 b. The second sheets 176a, 176 b can be machined to provide alignment holes (not shown).

Referring now to FIG. 12H, the composite sheet 175, (sheets 176 a, 170and 176 b) with the sheets 176 a and 176 b supporting the patternedelectrodes, is patterned to cut chases 185 for fluid access ports andalignment pin holes 189, as shown.

Referring now to FIG. 12I, the composite sheet 175 of FIG. 12H will belaminated between a pair of prefabricated sealing layers 180 a (shown)and 180 b shown in FIG. 12J. The sealing layers 180 a, 180 b beingprefabricated 50 micron thick sheets carrying a singled sided 1801 tape.The prefabricated sealing layers 180 a, 180 b are processed to cut thechases 185 to access the fluid access ports, access notches 187 toaccess electrodes and the alignment pin holes 189 to position the flowdevice in a fixture and stitches (not shown) that are used to singulate(dice) plural of the devices 10 from sheet arrays (not shown).

Referring now to FIG. 12J, the composite sheet 175, with the electrodeaccess notches 187 a, 187 b, released moving parts, e.g., the wheel 16,and chases 185 to access the fluid access ports, and the alignment pinholes 189 and stitches (not shown) is affixed with the pair ofprefabricated sealing layers 180 a, 180 b disposed on either side of thecomposite sheet via the single sided 1801 tape.

The above technique can also use a machine vision system produce a datafile that is used by the laser ablation system in aligning a laserablation station with a mask (or direct write) such that a laser beamfrom the laser ablation system provides features according to the maskused in registration with the corresponding portions of the bodies, asdiscussed. The electrodes are formed by ablating away the metal inregions that are not part of the electrodes and conductors, leavingisolated electrodes and conductors on the sheet.

Thinning of features that form movable parts, e.g., the wheel, i.e., asdiscussed above could be applied with the processing of FIGS. 12A-12Iincluding the formation of a collar.

Referring now to FIGS. 13A-13C, the wheel 16 is shown with aninterrupter 190 that can be either patterned metal dots or holes throughthe wheel 16 (FIG. 13A). This interrupter can be provided with eitherprocess discussed herein. FIG. 13B, shows the wheel 16 is shown with aninterrupter 192 that is either patterned metal lines or slits (FIG. 13C)through the wheel 16. The interrupters can be provided with eitherprocess discussed herein. Whether the interrupter is a set of metal dotsor a set of holes or lines or slits in the wheel 16, as the wheel 16rotates the dielectric disposed between the overlapping portions of theconductors (not shown) will vary, which will provide a concomitantvariation in capacitance between the overlapping portions and if themetal dots or holes or lines or slits are asymmetric with respect torotation direction, rotation of the wheel will also provide fromcapacitance changes an indication of rotation direction, as discussedabove.

A jig or test fixture (not shown) can be used in conjunction with thealignment pin holes. Other stacking techniques for assembly are possiblewith or without the alignment pin holes. A jig (not shown) that cancomprises vertical four posts mounted to a horizontal base is used tostack individual ones of the cut dies. On the jig an end cap (e.g., a 50micron PET sheet with a metal layer) is provided and over the end cap afirst repeatable unit is provided. The repeatable unit is spot welded(applying a localized heating source) to hold the unit in place on thejig. As each repeatable unit is stacked over a previous repeatable unitthat unit is spot welded. The stack is provided by having ports on oneside of the stack and ports on the other of the stack, and staggeredresulting from arrangement of the valves so as to have a solid surfaceseparating each of the ports in the stack. Once a stack is completed, atop cap (not shown) can be provided. The stack unit is sent to alamination station not shown, where the stack is laminated, laminatingall of the repeatable units and caps together. The end cap and top capcan be part of the packaging as well. Otherwise sets of repeatable unitscan be laminated or welded in pairs. Other stacking techniques forassembly are possible with or without the alignment holes.

Via conductors to interconnect the patterned electrodes on stacked flowdevices 10 are connected via the tabs with conductors that arecastellated structures, i.e., with relatively wide areas contactingelectrode tabs and relatively narrow areas through holes in theelectrode. This arrangement is provided by having the holes in the bodyportions larger than the holes through the electrode portions. This canbe accomplished during the patterning stages of the body and theelectrodes respectively. The via conductors are formed by introductionof the conductive inks mentioned above into the holes.

Elements of different implementations described herein may be combinedto form other embodiments not specifically set forth above. Elements maybe left out of the structures described herein without adverselyaffecting their operation. Furthermore, various separate elements may becombined into one or more individual elements to perform the functionsdescribed herein.

Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. Forexample, as shown in FIGS. 12A to 12J, the fabricated micro flowmeasurement device (FIG. 12J) includes a pair of prefabricated sealinglayers 180 a (FIGS. 12I) and 180 b shown in FIG. 12J on either side ofcomposite sheet 175 of FIG. 12H. The sealing layers 180 a, 180 b in someimplementations can be omitted, provided that the membrane sheets 176 aand 176 b are made stiff enough or strong enough to resist distortingdue to air flow through the micro flow measurement device. Given thatthe membranes need not and should not flex or bend during operation ofthe micro flow measurement device (to avoid noise in measurement ofcapacitance, the membranes can be made thicker than 5 microns or can bemade of stiffer materials such as glass or stiff plastics. In this casethe basic micro flow measurement devices can be three layers, i.e., thelayer housing the wheel 16 and the layers carrying the electrodes 32,38. The electrodes face outwards and thus obviate the need for theelectrode access notches 187 a, 187 b.

What is claimed is:
 1. A micro flow device comprises: a body having achamber, and a first port and a second port having passages into thechamber; a first membrane over a first surface of the body; a firstelectrode on a portion of the first membrane; a second membrane over thesecond opposing surface of the body; a second electrode on a portion ofthe second membrane; an axle in the chamber affixed to the first andsecond membranes; a wheel member disposed in the chamber about the axlemember, and spaced from the axle by a gap; and an interrupter featuredisposed between the first and second membranes.
 2. The micro flowdevice of claim 1 further comprising: a first end cap connected to thefirst membrane and a second end cap connected to the second membrane,the first and second membranes of a flexible material having a thicknessof several micros, the body comprised a flexible material have athickness of a multiple of the thickness of the flexible material of thefirst and second membranes.
 3. The micro flow device of claim 1 whereinthe interrupter feature is a structural feature of the wheel member thatcauses a change in capacitance between the first and the secondelectrodes, as the wheel member rotates.
 4. The micro flow device ofclaim 1 further comprising: a capacitance measurement circuit coupled tothe first electrode and the second electrode.
 5. The micro flow deviceof claim 1 wherein the interrupter feature is a symmetric feature withrespect to rotation direction of the wheel.
 6. The micro flow device ofclaim 5 wherein the interrupter feature is on the wheel and, the microdevice further comprises: a capacitance measurement circuit coupled tothe first electrode and the second electrode, with the electrode on thewheel member causing modulation of measured capacitance for rotation ofthe wheel member in a clockwise direction in comparison to rotation ofthe wheel member in a counter-clockwise direction, permitting thecapacitance measurement circuit to discern flow rate but not fluid flowdirection between the first and second ports.
 7. The micro flow deviceof claim 1 wherein the interrupter feature is an asymmetric feature withrespect to rotation direction of the wheel.
 8. The micro flow device ofclaim 7 wherein the interrupter feature is on the wheel and, the microdevice further comprises: a capacitance measurement circuit coupled tothe first electrode and the second electrode, with the electrode on thewheel member causing substantially unequal modulation of measuredcapacitance for rotation of the wheel member in a clockwise direction incomparison to rotation of the wheel member in a counter-clockwisedirection, permitting the capacitance measurement circuit to discernflow rate and fluid flow direction between the first and second ports.9. The micro flow device of claim 1 comprising at least one additionalmicro flow device in a stack with the at least one micro flow devicehaving an additional first electrode electrically connected to the firstelectrode and an additional second electrode electrically connected tothe second electrode.
 10. The micro flow device of claim 1 wherein thewheel further comprises: a central core; and a plurality of bladesconnected to the central core.
 11. The micro flow device of claim 5wherein the capacitance measurement circuit further comprises: acontroller that converts measured capacitance from the capacitancemeasurement circuit into a flow value.
 12. The micro flow device ofclaim 1 wherein the interrupter feature is one or more of an electrode,a set of slits a set of electrodes a set of apertures.
 13. A method ofmanufacturing a rotatable element, method comprising: patterning a metallayer disposed on a first body sheet to produce a region of metaldefining a rotatable element; patterning the first sheet to produce abody element having an interior wall that defines a chamber enclosingthe rotatable element and an axle, with the rotatable element spacedfrom the interior wall of the body element by a first gap, and spacedfrom the axle element by a second gap, and a first set of bridgeelements that tether the rotatable element to the body member, and asecond set of bridge elements that tether the rotatable element to theaxle member; laminating a first facial surface of a second sheet of aflexible material to a first facial surface of the first sheet to affixthe second sheet to the body element and to the axle and a second facialsurface of the second sheet having a electrode affixed to the secondsheet; and patterning the conductive element on the second sheet toprovide a first electrode.
 14. The method of claim of 13, furthercomprising: laminating a third sheet of a flexible material to a secondfacial surface of the first sheet to affix the third sheet to bodyelement and the axle element, the third sheet having a electrode affixedto the second sheet; and patterning the conductive element on the thirdsheet to produce a second electrode.
 15. The method of claim of 13wherein patterning further comprises: patterning the first sheet toproduce a pair of ports through the body element.
 16. The method ofclaim of 13 wherein the method forms a first repeatable layer, and themethod further comprises: producing a plurality of additional repeatablelayers including a second repeatable layer; and stacking the secondrepeatable layer on the first repeatable layer.
 17. The method of claimof 13 wherein after laminating, the method further comprises: removingthe first and second set of bridges.
 18. The method of claim 13, furthercomprises: patterning a second metal layer disposed on the wheel elementto define an interrupter element.
 19. A micro flow device comprises: abody having a chamber, a first port, and a second port that are coupledto passages into the chamber; an axle member disposed about a center ofthe chamber; a wheel member disposed in the chamber about the axlemember, and spaced from the axle member by a gap having a narrow gapwidth; a first membrane of a flexible material over a first surface ofthe body having a first electrode on a portion of the first membrane; asecond membrane over the second opposing surface of the body having asecond electrode on a portion of the second membrane; and an interrupterfeature that causes a change in a capacitance value between the firstand second electrodes, as the wheel rotates.
 20. The micro flow deviceof claim 19 wherein the interrupter feature is a symmetric feature thatcases a symmetric change in capacitance.
 21. The micro flow device ofclaim 19 wherein the interrupter feature is an asymmetric feature thatcases an asymmetric change in capacitance.
 22. The micro flow device ofclaim 19 wherein the interrupter feature is one or more of an electrodeaffixed over a portion of a facial surface of the wheel member, avariation in dielectric between a first portion of the wheel and asecond portion of the wheel.
 23. A method of manufacturing a rotatableelement, the method comprising: patterning an adhesive layer disposed ona first surface of a first sheet of a flexible material to removeportions of the adhesive layer in an area to define a location for arotatable element; patterning the first sheet to define the rotatableelement in the first sheet; adhering a pair of membrane layers of asecond flexible material, to opposing surfaces of the patterned firstsheet, with each of the pair of membrane layers having a electrode;patterning the electrode on each of the pair of membrane layers toprovide a first and a second electrode, respectively; and adhering apair of sealing layers to surfaces of the pair of membrane layers. 24.The method of claim of 23 patterning the first sheet further comprises:patterning one area of the first sheet to define a chamber and an axleelement, and the rotatable element disposed about the axle element, withthe rotatable element spaced from the interior wall of the chamber by afirst gap and spaced from the axle element by a second gap, and having afirst set of bridge elements that tether the rotatable element to thebody member and a second set of bridge elements that tether therotatable element to the axle member.
 25. The method of claim of 24wherein patterning further comprises: patterning the first sheet toproduce a pair of ports through the body element that provide apassageway into the chamber.
 26. The method of claim of 23 wherein therotatable element is a wheel.
 27. The method of claim of 23 whereinafter adhering the sealing layers the method further comprises: removingthe first and second set of bridges.
 28. The method of claim 27, themethod further comprising: forming an interrupter element on the wheel.